A Woman on Fire

​Judges 4:1-10 
 
We live in a time where pendulum that was swinging to further freedom and equity has begun swinging back to places of anger, fear and violence. 
 
Caribbean nations celebrate Emancipation Day, marking the end of government-sanctioned human trafficking and legal ownership of another human being, and yet there are more persons in bondage in 2024 than there ever was during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.  We try to convince ourselves that we are more civilized than our ancestors who were constantly at war and gained through the shedding of blood. Yet, the murder tolls keep rising in places of war and supposed peace – all marking that disregard for the sanctity of human life. Maybe we should not be so surprised – that seems to be the way of the cycles that exist in scripture: the people disobey God, end up in trouble, God relents and sends a prophet/priest/king/saviour, and the people are saved only to disobey again. 
 
This month as I reflect on those cycles, I look to the judge, Deborah – a woman of fire. She served as a community leader and arbitrator, a prophetess, and a military commander. These were the leadership responsibilities entrusted to her by God in order to restore the people. We can learn much from her style and her relationships if we wish to play similar roles in our contexts as we long for true restoration. 
 
Firstly, Deborah’s leadership was not a “one-man show”. She had an assistant Barak. She had the support of the tribes and their forces. She even had the unlikely ally in the form of Jael to conquer Sisera. I think about all the ways in which our concept of leadership would change if it was communal – if instead of looking for a singular hero to turn things around in a dramatic fashion, we recognize that decision making together is much more powerful and nuanced. It would require a sense of interdependence that the world tells us would make us look weak. It would require of us humility, openness and the vulnerability to say, “Go with me”.
 
Secondly, Deborah’s leadership also points out to us that our vision must be divinely guided. Many leaders in the past have misused the name of God, taking it in vain to wage holy wars and the destruction of the innocents for personal agendas and vendettas.  A truly divinely guided leadership, however, would be one that especially cares for the least of these. It would be one that uplifts not just humanity, but all of God’s marvelous creation. It would be one that encourages the building of a world that has fullness of life for all (not a select few) as a matter of fact.
 
And thirdly, her leadership reinforces that God chooses diverse and unlikely people to accomplish God’s will. Humanity is still too eager to close ranks against the “other”: to engage in xenophobia, racism, sexism, homophobia, classism and so much more – and usually out of fear or misunderstanding. In this narrative, the warrior Barak defers to Deborah’s leadership. He has more confidence in her than in himself, even with a divine promise given to him. And even though that promise then shifts to tell him that Sisera will be given into the hand of a woman, he does not respond with a sense of pride to reclaim the victory. Instead, with these fellow companions, chosen and justified by God, they overcome the King. 
 
Dearest readers, I invite you all to reflect on your countries, your churches and your communities as you examine the types of leadership that exists. Explore counter-cultural models that invite us to have a community of leaders rather than encouraging humans to have a saviour-complex (ps: we already have one of those! His name is Jesus 😊). Consider whose agendas are being catered to in our decision-making. Are we being just? Are we bringing peace? Or are we sowing division for the sake of appeasing those with power and influence? And finally, if your leadership looks a little too homogenous, ask yourself who is missing from the table, and why. Diversity is a blessing, not a curse. Perhaps then we shall see the pendulum swinging again towards our God of Life, instead of a god of destruction. 
 
—Rev. Sanya Deharry
Presbyterian Church in Trinidad and Tobago